Bearded screech owl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bearded screech owl |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Megascops
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| Species: |
barbarus
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| Synonyms | |
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Otus barbarus (P.L.Sclater & Salvin, 1868) |
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The bearded screech owl (Megascops barbarus) is a small type of owl. It belongs to a group of owls called "typical owls." You can find this special bird in the highlands of Guatemala and Mexico.
Contents
About the Bearded Screech Owl
Its Name and Family
Scientists Philip Sclater and Osbert Salvin first described the bearded screech owl in 1868. It is part of the Megascops group, which includes over 20 other screech owl species. The name barbarus comes from Santa Bárbara, a place in Guatemala where it was first found. The "bearded" part of its name seems to be a mistake. The word for "bearded" in Latin is barbatus.
What Does It Look Like?
The bearded screech owl is the smallest screech owl in North America. It is about 16 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches) long. Males weigh around 63 grams (2.2 ounces), and females are a bit heavier at 72 grams (2.5 ounces). Females also have slightly longer wings and tails. Their wings reach past their tails.
These owls can have two main colors. Most are light gray-brown. Others are a dark reddish color. Some owls are a mix of both.
- Gray-brown owls: Their top feathers are gray-brown. They have a light gray-white "collar" and many white-gray spots. Their face is gray-brown with a dark brown edge. Their belly is pale with darker marks that look like small circles. Feathers cover their legs almost down to their toes.
- Reddish owls: These owls have dark reddish-brown feathers instead of gray-brown. Their spots and circular marks are not as clear.
Both types of owls have yellow eyes and a greenish beak. Their toes are pink and have no feathers.
Where Does It Live?
The bearded screech owl lives in the mountains of central Chiapas, Mexico. Its home also stretches south and east into the mountains of central and western Guatemala. These owls usually live at heights between 1,800 and 2,000 meters (5,900 to 6,600 feet). Sometimes they are found as low as 1,350 meters (4,400 feet) or as high as 2,500 meters (8,200 feet).
They prefer humid, cool mountain forests. These forests can be made of pine and oak trees, just oak trees, or be "cloudforests." Cloudforests are often covered in mist or clouds.
How the Bearded Screech Owl Behaves
Staying in One Place
The bearded screech owl does not migrate. It stays in the same area all year long.
What It Eats and How It Hunts
This owl is active only at night. It eats mostly arthropods, which are creatures like insects and spiders. Its favorite foods include beetles, crickets, moths, roaches, spiders, and scorpions.
The owl hunts in the lower parts of the forest or at the forest edge. It waits quietly on a branch. When it sees prey on the ground, it swoops down to catch it. It eats its meal right where it catches it.
Family Life
Bearded screech owls protect their own areas. Their breeding season seems to be from March to June. Only one nest has ever been found. It was in a natural hole in a tree. A reddish female owl was taking care of a gray chick inside.
Sounds It Makes
The bearded screech owl's special song to mark its territory sounds like a quiet, low-pitched cricket trill. It lasts for 3 to 5 seconds, rising and then dropping at the end. Both male and female owls sing, but males sing more often. The male's song is lower in pitch than the female's. They also make a soft, quiet "hu" sound.
Status of the Bearded Screech Owl
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) keeps track of how many of these owls there are. At first, they thought the owl was "Near Threatened." In 2012, they changed it to "Vulnerable." Then, in 2020, they changed it again to "Least Concern." This means they are not as worried about it now.
There are at least 20,000 adult bearded screech owls. However, their numbers are believed to be going down. Their total living area is about 9,800 square kilometers (3,800 square miles). In Mexico, officials have listed this owl as endangered. This is because many forests where they live are being cut down. It is hard for these owls to find good cloud and pine-oak forests because they are mostly on steep slopes or high mountains that are difficult to reach.
